A Sky Angel

In 1978, I became a flight attendant for a major airline. Earning my wings was the culmination of a childhood dream that I had set for myself after my first plane ride at the age of five. Like so many others before me, I fell in love with the romance of airplanes, adventure and helping others.

I have flown hundreds of flights since graduation, but one stands out among the many.

We were flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C, when I answered a lavatory call light in the coach cabin. There I found a young mother struggling with her infant. Everything was a mess, to say the least, and the mother, who was near hysterics, told me she had no more diapers or other clothing onboard the aircraft.

Through her tears, she informed me that they had missed their flight the previous night in Los Angeles and because she had very little money, she and her son had spent the night on the airport floor. Since she hadn’t expected to miss the flight, she was forced to use up most of her supplies and whatever money she had to feed them.

With the saddest eyes I have ever seen she continued. She told me she was on her way to New Hampshire to deliver her son to the family that was adopting him. She could no longer support the two of them.

As she stood in front of me, crying, holding her beautiful son, I could see the despair and hopelessness on her face. And, as a mother of three beautiful daughters, I could feel her pain.

I immediately rang the flight attendant call button and asked for assistance from the other flight attendants. They brought cloth towels from first class to assist in cleaning up both mom and the infant. I ran and got my suitcase; because this woman and I were about the same size, I gave her a sweater and a pair of pants I had brought for my layover. Then I asked several families if they could spare extra diapers, formula and clothes for the child. After the young mother and her son had changed their clothes and the baby had gone to sleep, I sat with her, holding her hand, trying to provide some support and comfort for the remainder of the flight.

Once we landed, I walked them to their next flight, which would take them to their final destination; separation. I briefed the gate agent and the new flight attendant crew on the situation and asked them to give her special attention.

With tears in my eyes I gave her a hug and told her, "You have shown me the true meaning of courage and a mother’s love. I will never forget you."

As she thanked me for all I had done she said softly, "You’re not the flight attendant, you’re a sky angel." Touching my flight attendant wings, she continued, "And those are your angel wings."

With those words she turned and walked down the jetway, her child in her arms, and boarded the plane for New Hampshire.

Though I am no longer a flight attendant, my "angel wings" are still on prominent display in my office. And each time I see them, I am reminded of that young woman, her infant son and the gift that she gave me on that special day - that we truly are all spiritual beings traveling in human form.

我第一次做飛機是在五歲的時候，而之后的夢想也就是，想如有翅膀一樣當一位空中服務人員。我也和他們一樣，深深地迷戀上了飛機和冒險，以及給予他人幫助。1978年，我終于成為某一重要航空公司的空中服務人員。

畢業后，我就飛過好幾百個航班了，而且我在其他人中間的表現也是很優秀的。

從洛杉機飛往華盛頓的飛機即將起飛，我接到了一個二等艙里的盥洗室呼救信號燈的求救信號。過去一看，四處一片狼籍，原來是一個嬰兒讓他的年輕媽媽為了難。我至少可以說這位年輕媽媽有點歇斯底里了，她告訴我在飛機上孩子的尿布和衣服都沒有了。

她哭著對我說他們誤了前晚在洛杉機起飛的航班，因為錢不多，他們母子倆又只好整晚都在機場的地板上過夜。她本以為不會錯過那次航班的，無奈他們又用完了所有的東西，所以她才把錢花完買了吃的東西來養活他們。

她不停地哭，我的眼神也非常的悲傷了。她說她養不活倆個人，她要去新罕布什爾把兒子送給一家收養孩子的人家去。

她顯得非常的絕望無助，哭著抱著她那漂亮的孩子站在我的面前。我也是一位母親，有三個漂亮的女兒，我能體會她的苦楚。

我馬上撥通這次航班服務人員的呼叫電話按鈕，尋求從其他航班服務人員處獲得幫助。他們從頭等艙拿來了毛巾給那位媽媽和她嬰兒清潔下。這位女士衣服大小和我差不多，我就跑去拿我的行李箱，給她一件我換用穿的毛衣和褲子。之后，我又向別的人家詢問，看他們有沒有多余的小孩用的尿布、奶粉和衣服。他們倆換過衣服后，小孩就睡著了。我坐在那位年輕媽媽的旁邊，抓著她的手，想就這次航班滯留給她一些鼓勵和安慰。

我們登機前，我步行把他們送到他們的下次航班處，那次航班將帶他們到達目的地。分別后，我給那次機艙門口的人員以及服務人員介紹了他們母子倆的情況，讓他們特殊照顧下他們母子倆。

我眼淚涌了出來，擁抱著她說：“你告訴了我勇氣和母親之愛的真正含義。”

她感謝我為她所做的幫助后，并語氣柔和地說：“你不是服務人員，你是空中的天使。” 這觸動了我這位飛行服務人員的雙翼，她接著說到：“那就是你們天使的翅膀。”

說著說著，她抱著孩子轉過身去，踏上登機道，坐上了飛往新罕布什爾的飛機。

雖然我現在已經不是一位空中服務人員了，但是在我辦公室里，像我這樣的“天使的翅膀”卻依舊上演著。每次我看見他們，我就想起了那位年輕的女人和她的孩子，那天她送給我的禮物是--我們是真實飛行在塵世間里的崇高靈魂。